Three new parks to play in, beginning this spring and continuing through fall

According to a Parks Department spokesperson, Schmul Park, an 8.5-acre tract in Travis, is in the process of having its asphalt replaced with colorful rubber-clad play mounds, plantings and other porous surfacing.
(Staten Island Advance/Mark Stein)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - WEST SHORE - The temperatures are inching up and the leftover snow on the ground is, hard to believe, almost gone.

Spring is less than three weeks away, and with that said, three parks – either being newly constructed or revamped – aren't far from finished.

Starting with the largest of the three, Schmul Park, an 8.5-acre tract in the Travis community, is in the process of having its asphalt replaced with colorful rubber-clad play mounds, plantings and other porous surfacing, said a spokesperson for the city Parks Department.

The park will feature handball and basketball courts, as well as an ecologically sensitive comfort station designed by architecture firm BKSK.

Schmul Park will also serve as a pedestrian entryway to North Park, part of Freshkills Park that is on the drawing board.

Schmul Park dates back to 1939 and bears the name of the family that donated a piece of their farm to the city.

The comfort station and playground projects have been bid for construction, and will begin in mid 2010 and run through 2011.

Parks Department maintains that construction is expected to be complete by the fall.

The schematic for Independence Park, designed by Tara Valenta, the city Park's Department's Landscape Architect.
(Photo Courtesy of NYC Parks Department)

INDEPENDENCE PARK

Independence Park, located at the intersection of Glen Street and Victory Boulevard, also Travis, is still under construction and is currently about 30 percent complete, said the Parks Department.

Janice Blanchard, of the Travis Fourth of July Parade Committee, has had a hand in the planning process and said the three-acre green space is expected to be usable by July 4, but won't officially be complete until August.

She said some overgrown weeds and dead trees have been removed, and a concrete base was installed for the flag pole. Two concrete pillars by a walking path were also placed.

A park at the corner of Glen Street and South Avenue, Bloomfield, is set to cater to the community very soon, according to Richard Nicotra, director of the Nicotra Group.

"The new park will open up this spring," he said. "We're awaiting a piece of sculpture that is almost finished. The sculpture will be placed in the middle of the park and the dedication ceremony will follow."

A RED SPIRAL

Nicotra, who owns the Hilton Garden Inn and several other properties along South Avenue, said the sculpture should arrive later this month. A grand opening ceremony is expected in April, he added.

"The artist is John Clement and he's doing a fabulous red spiral piece that will be a colorful accent to the park. We're looking forward to welcoming our tenants and neighbors as they stroll around the Corporate Park of Staten Island and enjoy the natural beauty and artistic elements of the park as part of their walk about," continued Nicotra.

A thank you to The Richmond County Savings Foundation, which helped fund the park's construction, will also be displayed.

"After this harsh winter it will be nice for everyone to stretch their legs, get some exercise and enjoy the newest green space on South Avenue," said Nicotra.